


Greetings!

by AyaTheMidorian



Series: Temperate Relations [2]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, I APOLOGIZE, butchered languages ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-13 01:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11749533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyaTheMidorian/pseuds/AyaTheMidorian
Summary: Jack kept to himself during the first few decades he spent as a spirit. It didn't occur to him to leave the country he knew until he met someone very different.





	1. Side Winter

In the early days, Jack kept to his lands.

He could fly with the Wind, fast and free. It was the most exhilarating thing he'd ever done, he supposed, with decorating the world in frost being a close second. Yet he never strayed far from the woodlands and villages, going only as far as the ocean and retreating to the mountains when the warm seasons arrived. In all his time as a spirit, he had seen many peculiar creatures and ethereal beings. There were faeries and pixies, even gnomes and ghosts, though unless they were fellow tricksters or winter sprites they paid him little regard. Of course no human paid him any mind, either. Despite not being quite alone, Jack Frost was terribly lonely. It kept him searching curiously, though after a couple unsavory supernatural encounters he was often cautious of approaching unfamiliar spirits.

His life changed one morning, during the burning summer season.

He'd woken up to see the intricate patterns of his frosty cave home dripping to the ground. Sitting up from his perch in a tree, he immediately noticed the heat in the air. He felt sweat beading on his forehead, and he swiped at his drooping white hair. Gliding down from the tree offered a slight breeze from the Wind, but to his alarm even it seemed warmer than before. Clutching his staff in both hands, Jack stepped toward the front opening of the cave.

Now, Jack had seen the Spring many times. He'd appreciated the flowers and animals, just beginning to grow and gain color. But it had been a while since he'd awakened in the Summer. Usually he just dozed inside his cave until the Autumn chill made it viable to spread frost again. Standing here in the Summer, he found everything foreign, yet somewhat familiar. The scenery, however, wasn't nearly as confounding as the person standing a few feet away from him.

There weren't many things that made it clear, but Jack could tell that he was a spirit, not a human. The young man was tall and strong-framed, but in his face looked to be no older than Jack. He had dark skin, a deep dark earthy color. His hair was long, in a style the tiniest bit like plaits but…not, and Jack couldn't recall ever seeing anyone with their hair that way. His clothes were simple, only a cotton shirt and fitted pants, and he wore no shoes. Jack cautiously tiptoed closer, feeling the heat radiating off of this stranger.

The newcomer turned his head toward Jack sharply. He bristled for a moment, observing Jack critically, and only lowered his guard slightly when he determined Jack was a spirit, too. He looked over him curiously. Neither moved, neither blinked. It was Jack who spoke first.

"You…feel like the Summer."

"- - - - - -. - - - -?"

Jack blinked. The other spirit's mouth had moved, and sounds had come out, but Jack had not understood a word. He must have caught his blank look, because he frowned in thought and tried again.

"Ou…es…uh…" he paused, thinking again. "Vous etez…l'hiver?"

"Um?" Jack scratched his head. The other spirit sighed and hugged himself, shivering.

"Hiver! Le froid…uh…froid, le froid!"

"Do you mean…cold?" Jack stared closely at the spirit's actions.

"Col'…wi, col', le froid, l'hiver."

"Yes, that's me. Who are you?"

"'Ou es col', uh…désolé, mon pa kapab koz Angle byen…" Jack had to admire the spirit's attempts at speaking English when it clearly wasn't his native tongue. He paused again, then pointed to himself before continuing. "…es chaud." He repeated it again, pointing to himself and adding "es chaud."

"I'm sorry, I don't know…" Jack gave him a helpless look. Again the stranger gestured, this time to the world around them, before pointing back to himself. Jack's eyes lit up.

"So you are Summer! You're summer, I'm winter!" he exclaimed, pointing respectively. The spirit nodded, eyes wide.

"Summer…winter. Wi, I'm…summer, ou…are, winter!"

"You're Summer," Jack's voice fell to a hush. He stepped toward the other spirit, who stared at him with just as much curiosity. However, though Jack could not notice it, there was still a hint of wariness in the Summer spirit's eyes. He backed away as Jack approached.

"Es no winter. Non, c'est…summer," he frowned, looking over Jack again. "Pourquoi…you…?"

"Hm?" Jack tilted his head. He managed to gather that the summer spirit was pointing out that it was indeed the hot season with no need for the cold. That probably meant he was asking why Jack was out here talking to him. Jack deflated and moved away from him.

"Oh…"

"Ou dormi en…summer, wi?" he rested his head against his hands, and Jack understood. He nodded, still not sure whether the other seasonal was trying to coax him into leaving.

"Yeah, I sleep during the summer."

"Es trop froid…uh, col'," he continued. "Pa col' en summer."

"I know," Jack sighed. He gazed down dejectedly, unable to keep back the scowl on his face. "I'll go back, then."

"Ou winter i zoli-!"

"It's what?" Jack looked back up in surprise. The summer spirit smiled and nodded. He pointed to the mouth of Jack's cave, where a bit of frost was still visible on the rocky surface.

"C'est beau, i zoli…mais I…I'm, trop chaud…" he lowered his hand sheepishly.

"Oh…yeah, you thawed it!" Jack crossed his arms. "The mountains are supposed to stay cold around here."

"Ehehe…" A sheepish smile and embarrassed nod. Jack shrugged and unfolded his arms, giving up on acting upset.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jack asked. "My name is Jack Frost. Who are you?"

"Jack…Frost…" the other spirit tried the name out slowly. "Jack Frost. Hm! Plezir, Jack Frost! Mon appel Jules de St. Ange."

"Ju-liez?" Jack sounded. "Juli…us? Julius?"

Julius smiled. He nodded and made a wide arm gesture to Jack.

"Plezir, Jack Frost. Mon appel…my…name…is Julius de St. Ange."

"Uh, plezir, Julius de St. Ange."

Julius cracked a smile and tapped at the ground. The earth began to shift there, and suddenly a green shoot sprouted from the dirt. It grew and grew until it bloomed a tall, brown-centered flower with bright yellow petals. Julius plucked it from the soil and held it out. Jack took it hesitantly.

"Thank you…"

"Zher voo zon pree. Ou dormi en summer. Is summer pour you." Julius nodded, pushing the flower closer to Jack.

"…I…" Jack stared down at the sunflower. "I can keep it…?"

"Wi! Pour you!" Julius began to walk backwards, to the edge of the mountain's cliff. Jack's smile faltered as he looked up.

"Wait, are you leaving?"

"Is summer. Zher pa vyen der, uh…" Julius paused, then pointed at the ground and himself, making an X with his arms. Zher vyen der l'isle!" he pointed away from the mountain.

"You're not…from here, you're from…sorry, what was the last word?"

"Isle…isle?" Julius moved his hands in a circle.

"An island?" Jack asked. Julius nodded at this.

"I'm…leav-ing."

"Oh…" Jack sighed. "That makes sense. Hm…"

"You...leav-ing en winter, wi?"

"Huh?"

Julius stepped closer to him. His deep brown eyes were just as warm as the season he represented.

"I'm leav-ing en summer, you leaving in winter!"

"L-leaving? No, I've..." Jack's breath hitched in his throat, uncertainty crinkling his brow. "I've never…"

"You're winter, I'm summer. I leaving, you never leaving?"

"I mean…I never thought about it," Jack's eyes grew wide. "I've seen boats a-and travelers, but I wasn't sure…"

"You leaving en winter! En winter! You sure, you leaving."

"Leave where, though? You want me to come visit you?"

"Eh, wi, visit!" Julius grinned a dazzling white smile. It faded into a wry smirk. "Mais no winter, is trop col'."

"Wait, what?"

"You visit, no winter! Leave when you sure."

"Wh-that doesn't make any sense!" Jack frowned. Julius laughed and backpedaled to the edge of the mountain. He jumped back into the sky, and Jack felt a warm breeze whip his cloak as it rushed to catch Julius. The summer spirit spun in the air before waving and speeding away from the mountain.

Jack stood their blinking in the bright summer sun. He wiped his brow and looked back at the sunflower in his hand.

"That was…weird."

He trudged back to the cave. Once in the shade, he tapped his staff against the walls, once again covering everything in a chilly layer of intricate frost. He sighed in relief from the heat. Then he sighed in exasperation from his new encounter.

What was he supposed to do with this? He'd never met another seasonal spirit before. The elemental sprites and fairies didn't really count, he thought, since they were small and only ever danced around the water, plants, storms, and fires. He'd never met the Spring or the Autumn spirits. Now the Summer, of all seasons, had visited him up on his mountain. He couldn't have known he lived there in the hot months, but why was he up there anyway? And then he just invited him – more like insisted, really – to visit him on his island, wherever that was. But he said not to bring winter when he did? That wasn't possible! He pouted. The more he thought about it, the more confused and irritated it made him.

Jack twirled the sunflower stem in his hand. He thought back on everything Julius said. It was like a social puzzle, and his lack of interaction skills wasn't helping one bit.

"You sure, you leaving."

If he was sure? So he wasn't being rushed. Even so, he wasn't at all certain how to handle this attention. He wasn't sure he liked it either. Well…

A layer of frost stiffened the sunflower up. Jack pressed it gently to the wall and pinned it there with another layer of frost. It stayed, almost like a picture with no frame.

He could think about it when he got back up in autumn. Winter was far off from now, anyway.


	2. Side Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julius's view of the first meeting, plus a bit of his story.

Travelling the world taught Julius more than human life ever did. Years of pain stuck with him, but there were so many years ahead of him now.

He didn't care for looking back on his memories, but it happened all the time. It happened when he travelled off his island and looked at the people working in fields, free now but still needing work. It happened when he took off his shirt and traced his fingers over the circular indents in his chest, or when he stretched too hard and the scars on his back ached and itched. It happened, especially, when he travelled away and looked over other countries, where the practice was still going strong. There was no ignoring what put him here, but in all fairness, he was constantly amazed that he was even here now. He still didn't know why he became a spirit, let alone the kind he was. He could have been a lingering ghost, trapped in his last moments and roaming the village forever, but somehow, he'd been made a denizen of the Summer season.

When he learned how to fly, he almost left for good. He flew nearly everywhere, making friends with the Southern Wind who carried him across the world in minutes. There was too much that he'd never seen. There were people and cultures he never could have imagined. Decades later, he still had much to learn. As he gained more skill in delivering the Summer, he began to meet more spirits. There were animals, rivers, and even forests to meet on Earth. He heard tales of creatures that came from the sky and even further, but he had never met them. He'd never even met the other Seasonal spirits.

One day, he stood upon a mountain overlooking a North American city.

He'd been distracted, gazing down at the summer foliage. When he finally noticed the boy, he thought he was a human at first, and so on instinct he tensed. Humans couldn't see him normally, but the boy stared straight at him. His appearance caught him off guard, but he was skinny and pale and dressed in shepherd clothes. He doubted this boy would have been any threat, even if they had both been human.

"You feel like the Summer."

Julius understood some English, but he hadn't retained pronunciations well. He knew French and he knew Seselwa, and he knew that both French and Creole were spoken in America. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad. For now, he focused intensely on the boy's features. Such pale skin and stark white hair, ice blue eyes and frost on his shoulders.

_"You feel like the winter. Are you the Winter spirit?"_

There was confusion on the boy's face. So he did not understand… Julius thought for a moment, and repeated himself slowly.

_"Are you winter?"_

Confusion again. Julius sighed. Perhaps body language would do better.

_"Winter! Cold…uh, cold, cold!"_

"Col', yes, col'…cold, winter."

_"You are Cold…sorry, I don't speak English well. I…am Hot. The heat."_

It took many gestures just to introduce himself. The boy seemed excited to learn, and his eyes lit up when Julius managed to show that he was the spirit of Summer. He began to pepper English into his speech, trying to pronounce them as the Winter boy did. As they talked, something occurred to Julius, and he frowned.

"Es no winter…pourquoi…you…?"

What was he doing out and about? In this country, it was Summer. Julius expected a simple answer, and so he was shocked to see the boy's face fall as he began to inch away. Oh, he didn't want to upset him. How young he seemed, how unsure. He hadn't meant to imply that he should leave. Searching frantically around the area, Julius looked for something, anything to lift his spirits. His eyes fell on the shimmering cave in the side of the mountain.

_"Your winter is pretty-!"_

Again with the confusion. Julius said it again, before noticing the intricate frost patterns turning gray and dripping to the soil below. Oops. The boy pouted at him for this, but he seemed to be in a better mood. Julius rubbed his head sheepishly.

The boy's name was Jack Frost. Fitting.

_"Nice to meet you, Jack Frost. My name is Julius de St. Ange."_

It was the name he'd been assigned at birth. It was a French name, a so-called "proper" name. It never left him, nor could he find it in himself to leave it, even with all that it came with. He didn't know any other name to call himself.

"Uh, plezir, Julius de St. Ange."

Well, listen to that! Julius smiled. He felt the Wind brush past his ear. Was it time to leave already? He looked to Jack again. He was certain their paths would cross more now that they had met, but he wondered how long that would take.

_"You sleep in the summer. Here's summer for you."_

Julius prepared to leave, only to stop when he saw Jack falter. He tried to explain his island home, and came to a new realization.

"You never leaving?"

So Jack had never left his home country. Julius didn't know how long Jack had been a spirit, but after just the couple decades he'd been overseeing Summer, Julius had nearly forgotten what it felt like to see the same place every day.

"You leave en winter! You sure, you leaving."

_Leave in winter! Once you're sure, you'll leave._

"You visit, no winter! Leave when you sure."

_Visit! Don't bring the winter with you._

Julius listened to the South Wind's stories as he flew past the trees of the mountains. She had danced with the North Wind and touched the clouds like she'd done so many times before. He wondered if Jack would like flying this far, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This meeting takes place around the mid-1800s, two decades after slavery was abolished in the Seychelles. Feel free to comment what you may have pieced together from this.


End file.
